Tis the season to be jolly by Bill Storie

From that title you’d think I’m going to write about Christmas and stuff. You’d be wrong.

Nope, I’m going to write about being happy, which I imagine many of you think means the same thing. Christmas = Happy.

Jingle, Jingle, Twinkle, Twinkle, it’s all the same thing.

Enough of that, let’s down to business here.

A friend once said to me, “I seriously want to be happy when I retire.”

I’ve added the bold and the italics for emphasis because I find it hard to understand how he could have two emotive words, of opposite connotations, in the same sentence. The word serious suggests an element of being in earnest, being pensive, being determined. You can almost see the long face. So, where does the word happy fit into that picture?

In my mind it doesn’t.

Look, if you are going to be happy, firstly you need to want to be happy. You can’t just wake up one morning and declare happiness. You need to feel it and you need to embrace it and you need to live in happy mode. Happiness doesn’t show up overnight.

So many people when asked if they are happy say “not really”. Then ask them, “Would you like to be happy?” and they will say, “Sure, of course, doesn’t everyone.” But try to get them to understand that to be happy, you have to work at it. Sometimes you maybe even have to force it in fact. There is no magic stardust that floats in the air that automatically makes people happy.

The fact is that while all of us, me included, have good days and bad days, the ability to be happy “7/24” as they say, is unquestionably a challenge. We have ups and downs, we have swing and roundabouts, we are on a roller-coaster all of our lives.

But if your underlying, inner engine, your soul if you prefer, is one of broad-based contentment, then the curve balls that come at you, as they always do, will generally speaking slide off you, and your core demeanor will be one of happiness.

Sounds simple when said like that, but it’s not that easy in truth. However, what is completely unambiguous is that if your overall attitude craves Un-Happiness, then you’ll find it easily. Just grump your way through life and not only will you get what you seem to crave, but everyone around you will be equally infected.

In other words … Happiness is a Serious business. Oops, now it’s my turn.

Ok there we are, rant over, so now back to Christmas to wrap up for the week.

This is the time of year when one day seems to merge with the next day and we lose track of what we need to do today. Especially over the two or three days around Christmas day itself. We have no idea what day it is. Or is that just another one of those age things?

Truth be told, I even find that during the week these days. I’m sometimes not sure if it’s Tuesday or Wednesday. I guess this retirement gig means that I have time to do things, but as there’s no-one depending on me, then if I do it on Monday or Thursday or next week, makes little difference to the future of mankind.

I’m done.

So next will indeed be Christmas week and I will pen a kind, loving, cheerful and happy message for you all. I will be full of good cheer, and it will show.

From that declaration you’d think I’ll be writing about Christmas and stuff.